Chapter 9

LUXURIA.

I felt as if my body had been drained of every ounce of strength. Even the simple act of fluttering my eyes open felt like a huge task. My joints ached, and my head spun.

My joints ached, each movement sending a jolt of pain through my limbs. My head spun, making it difficult to focus. I blinked, trying to make sense of my surroundings.

The cold, hard surface beneath me didn't feel right. I sluggishly opened my eyes and saw the familiar walls of my new chamber. But something was horribly wrong.

I wasn't in my bed.

I was on the floor.

Naked.

I scrambled to my feet, confusion building a web around me.

Panic swelled inside me, my heart racing. I scrambled to my feet, my body trembling, confusion threading through my mind like a thick fog.

How had I ended up here? I had fallen asleep on the bed—of that, I was sure. So why was I on the cold stone floor, stripped bare?

 I wrapped my arms around myself, my heart thundering in my chest.

And then, I saw it.

My hands.

They were covered in blood.

I froze, my breath catching in my throat. "Whose... Whose blood is this?" I whispered, barely recognizing the trembling voice that escaped my lips. My hands trembled as I stared at them, the dark, sticky red coating my skin, staining it. The blood looked fresh. Too fresh.

My chest tightened, fear clawing its way up my throat. I couldn't think straight. Was it my blood? Someone else's? The questions hammered in my mind, but I had no answers.

Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced my side, and I doubled over, clutching my abdomen with a wince. My breath came out in ragged gasps as I stumbled backward, my body growing weaker by the second. My gaze, frantic and wild, dropped to where the pain radiated.

A deep, jagged cut stretched across my upper abdomen, dark blood seeping from the wound. The sight of it made my head spin, my vision blurring as nausea twisted in my stomach. The gash was raw, brutal, as if something had clawed into me. But how?

I gasped, pressing a trembling hand to the wound, but the pressure only made the pain worse. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes as I struggled to breathe, to make sense of what was happening.

My chest tightened with dread. Memories flickered in my mind, but they were fragmented, disjointed images that made no sense. Flashes of the night, the full moon, the coldness in the air—but beyond that, nothing. The pain clouded everything.

I let out a scream, a desperate, panicked scream that tore from my throat. It was the only sound I could make before everything went silent, save for the pounding of footsteps coming toward the door.

***

I woke up after what felt like an eternity. It felt like I was trapped somewhere, but thankfully, I was able to push my way to the surface.

The strong scent of my mate hit me, making me snap my eyes open. I immediately tried to sit up, but I ended up wincing in pain.

"Lay still. Your wound is still fresh," the familiar voice of the strange woman from the previous night called out to me.

My gaze traveled to where she sat just beside me, administering some herbs to me.

She looked even prettier today. Her round, Hazel eyes looked at my wound with tenderness.

"What happened to you?" She asked me, still tending to my wound.

"I..." I tried speaking, but my throat felt as dry as a desert. She handed a cup of brewed tea to me.

"This would help. You can't take water just yet," she said.

Although she had no smile on her face, she still seemed nice.

My gaze rested on Alpha Parthe, who stood with his Beta, Gamma, and two guards beside him. They looked at me with an unreadable expression.

Parthe hadn't said anything to me yet.

Goddess! He terrified me.

"Greetings, Alpha," I managed, but he remained quiet.

"I asked a question, Luxuria," the woman asked me in an even calmer tone.

I sensed worry radiating off of them, but I didn't know why they were worried.

Were they worried about me? If yes, that'd be kind of them.

"I woke up this morning to find myself like this," I said, leaving out the rest of the details about me waking up naked.

Naked... The word rang in my head.

I realized I was naked when I screamed for help.

Oh, no. Whoever came to my rescue must have... They must have seen me naked.

My panic increased. That was an embarrassment to me.

"That's not the whole story," she finally lifted her gaze to look at me, "Where were you last night?" She asked.

"I was in my chamber. I slept off on the bed... I found myself waking up on the floor this morning," I said in a more defensive tone.

"Lies." finally, the Beta spoke a word to me for the first time, and those were the words he said to me. Called me a liar. What reason do I have to lie? What is it, even, that I'm lying about? I scoffed inwardly.

"You were asked to stay back in your chamber. I specifically instructed that, but you defied my order," Alpha Parthe spoke to me for the first time since I woke up.

His voice was cold, betraying no emotions. Not even sympathy. Do they think I intentionally got hurt? Do I enjoy being in this situation?

Goddess... What have I gotten into? I'm scared. They looked like they were going to rip my heart out, especially Alpha.

"I swear, Alpha. I slept off. I have no memory of stepping outside. I am as confused as everyone else. Please believe me." I said with a trembling voice.

"You are getting agitated, Luxuria. It is not good for your injury. Stay calm," The woman from last night said to me. Her voice was so soothing that I almost fell for it. But something in her eyes didn't match the tone of her voice.

I rested my back on the bed again, wincing in pain. Not even a word of comfort from them.

Not that I care. I am used to not being comforted.

"Besides, I was totally scared last night. I heard a lot of frightening roars coming from the woods and within the pack. I covered my ears and forced myself to sleep off..." I said in a sad whisper, my eyes never leaving the spot on my thighs where they rested.

"I swear, I never went outside," I added, wiping a tear from my face.

There was a brief silence before Alpha Parthe finally spoke, "I have other important matters to handle."

That was all he said before walking out on us.

I was shocked at how unfeeling he was. His mate is in harm's way, and that's all he could say?

What happened to find out what really happened? Am I safe in this pack? Is someone already trying to kill and get rid of me?